Alex Ye, 19, of Rockville, was found guilty on one count of Threat of Mass Violence Wednesday. Ye faces a maximum of ten years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb, 28.
Judge Cummins presided over a two-day bench trial which concluded on Dec. 10, 2024, and issued her verdict Wednesday at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.
Ye was arrested on April 16, 2024, after an investigation prompted by a 911 call from a concerned associate. Ye and this individual were communicating over Instagram and Ye sent a file containing a written 129-page manifesto about a high school shooting. In the book, Ye also mentioned the possibility of carrying out a shooting at an elementary school.
Alex Ye. Photo courtesy county police
In December of 2022, Ye was hospitalized after making statements to a counselor at Wootton High School about wanting to “shoot up” his school.
The Montgomery County Police Behavior Assessment Unit obtained records from multiple social media platforms, including Instagram and Discord, and reviewed thousands of pages of records that revealed Ye’s consistent obsession with school shootings and school shooters. It was those records that provided the context to the written manifesto that led to the judge finding that this was a true threat.
During a press conference after the verdict, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy noted the actions of an individual named Max who “did what we have been preaching in many many ways to the young people in this community… if you see something, say something.”
He said the case has a positive aspect, which is that no one was harmed because of the actions of Max, as well as the actions of a school counselor who reported her fears.
McCarthy said the issue of Ye’s competency was never raised — “He’s a very smart young man, I think he understands what’s happening. Does he have mental health challenges? Absolutely.”
“Thank God this young man, unlike some of the other shooters that we read about, didn’t have access to a gun,” McCarthy said. “Or we might here be dealing with a much different story than we’re dealing with.”
